Community Champion: Jessica Johnson
It’s time to recognize a Community Champion.
It’s an honor given to people making a positive impact in the community. It’s in partnership with Leaders Credit Union.
“For children to be able to go to bed at night and know that their mother is in a safe place is priceless. And being able to offer that is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” said Jessica Johnson, who founded Brenda’s House of Hope, a recovery house for women.
Located in Savannah, the program is designed to encourage women afflicted with substance abuse issues.
“You have peer support, you have accountability, and you have a structured living environment,” Johnson said.
Opening in 2022, Brenda’s House helps women further their recovery and lower the risk of relapse.
“While I was here I was able to work, save money, pay off legal fines. I was able to find a sponsor and get involved in the meetings and work a 12-step program,” said Aimee Cotton, who got to Brenda’s House of Hope in June of 2022 after completing a 90 day drug and alcohol treatment program. “The treatment is just the beginning. It’s just the first step. This is where the real work began and I really got to take a look at myself and do the work within myself.”
Cotton says she didn’t want to go back to the old environment she was used to.
“I’m a survivor of overdose, and I came from the darkest places. And I’m now 20 months sober and the hope I have today and the beautiful life I have today. It’s just priceless. And if I can do it, anyone can do it,” Cotton said.
Cotton is now the Executive Assistant for Brenda’s House of Hope. She says she is grateful that Johnson was there to believe in her.
“It’s just full circle for me because when I got here I was so hopeless, and she offered me love and hope. And now I get to do that for the girls that are here, and I get to give back what was freely given to me,” Cotton said.
“Anyone struggling with addiction has the same hope, dreams, and desires as anyone else. They simply lost their way. So whenever they come here, these women have made a personal decision to get their life back on track. And to me, the more loved and supported they feel, the more successful that they will be,” Johnson said.
Brenda’s House of Hope is in honor of someone very close to Johnson.
“My passion, my purpose, and my calling come from losing my mother Brenda to addiction,” Johnson said.
Johnson says it’s special to know that through the legacy of her mother, she has been able to help more than nine women achieve more than a year of sobriety.
“It takes a tremendous amount of courage to lay your fears aside and to want to do something different and not return to the same environment where you became sick and to enter a household where you have to live with multiple individuals and continue everyday to get up and know you’re doing the next right thing and to continue to do so without giving up,” Johnson said.
Brenda’s House of Hope relies heavily on community resources. You can donate items for their pantry like hygiene and feminine products and clothing or you can help sponsor a bed.
To learn more go to brendashouseofhope.com.
And if you know someone doing good in their community, you can nominate them for the Community Champion award.
